This report scrutinizes the Travelife system both in theory and in practice. It serves to ask the question: What positive improvements have been achieved and which challenges still exist?...The review of the standard comprises a combination of interviews with workers at Travelife certified hotels and non-certified hotels in Turkey. The hotels are connected to three of Sweden’s biggest tour operators: Apollo (Kuoni), Fritidsresor (TUI) and/or Ving (Thomas Cook).... 

The evaluation of the Travelife criteria uncovered fundamental flaws: the absence of core labour standards such as freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, along with a lack of references to international labour rights standards such as the ILO core conventions. According to Schyst resande’s interviews with hotel workers in Turkey, violations of the local labour law as well as international human and labour rights occur at the hotels. The most severe violations are related to breaches of freedom of association, low wages and a lack of occupational health and safety. Many workers are afraid to join a trade union, cannot survive on their incomes and are suffering from work related injuries and/or stress....The interviews also reveal that breaches of the Travelife standard occur at Travelife certified hotels... 

The report raises important questions for Travelife concerning the inefficiency of the certification method and also questions the sustainability work of the tour operators Apollo, Fritidsresor and Ving at a broader level.